There are certain foods that evoke a cultural feeling inside and if you close your eyes you may even feel like you’re in a different part of the world. Indulge in eggplant Parmesan and you could be in Italy, crunch on chips and guacamole and you may find yourself in Mexico, and travel to Asia while slurping up dumplings. The herbs and spices that flavor food are key ingredients that help to impart those cultural food memories, and while they were historically used as food preservatives and for their health benefits, these days their use goes far beyond. With the increase in food blogging, self-proclaimed foodies, and sites like Instagram and Pinterest where food porn abounds, there is great interest in the flavor profile of herbs and spices and how they can be used to enhance the taste of food. Herbs and spices are showing up in cocktails, sauces (think chimichurri), spreads (think pesto) and dips (think salsa), and as garnish on the simplest to the most exquisite dishes you can find at restaurants and on home cooked plates of food. And believe it or not, herbs and spices are playing a greater role than before in one of the seemingly least complex dishes you can probably think of: Salad.

Here at the Salad Swap we know a thing or two about creating a salad full of flavor, especially when it comes to those worldly flavors we dream about. And we don’t shy away from using herbs and spices that take our salads from “eh” to “mmmmm…”